Fire-Seared Antipasto Platter

It's sweltering in Arizona. It's monsoon season which native Arizonians aren't prepared for. The humidity is high and I feel like I have to swim through the air because it's so thick and heavy. Yugh! Where's the dry heat we talk up to the rest of the nation? Thanks to Cooking Light for the recipe!

Anyways, I found a delicious, hot weather dinner option that's perfect for August.

Photo credit: Cooking Light

Ingredients: 

        Dressing:

• 6  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 3  tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
• 2  teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 2  garlic cloves, minced 
•  
• Vegetables:
• 3  plum tomatoes, halved
• 2  red bell peppers, quartered and seeded
• 2  yellow bell peppers, quartered and seeded
• 2  zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1  red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1  (1 1/2-pound) eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Cooking spray
• 
  Garnishes:
• 4  ounces  prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 1  ounce  capocollo, thinly sliced
• 2  ounces  fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh basil
• 2  teaspoons  capers
• 6  green olives, sliced
• 1/8  teaspoon  kosher salt

Get Cookin'

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

2. To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.

3. To prepare vegetables, brush 1/4 cup dressing evenly over tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, onion, and eggplant. Place vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until lightly charred. Arrange vegetables on platter; brush with remaining dressing. Arrange prosciutto, capocollo, and cheese on platter. Sprinkle platter with basil, capers, olives, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Spinich & Shrimp Salad

We had a 4th of July bbq with our families before going to the local fireworks show. I brought the dessert and salad--both were new recipes that turned out delish. The home-made dressing is what made this salad good enough to share. I'll share the dessert recipe soon.

photo from here

Ingredients:

Salad

1/2 lb. cooked shrimp (medium size 51-60 per lb.), thawed, tails removed

5 oz. spring mix greens

1/3 cup julienne cut tomatoes in oil

1 avocado, sliced

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Dressing

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 T. capers

1 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup olive oil

Get Cookin'

Make the salad dressing as far in advance as possible (I made mine the morning of the bbq). Refrigerate. Immediately before serving, put together salad ingredients and toss with salad dressing.

Edamame Salad

When I was at Costco a few months ago I purchased a lifetime supply of edamame. We're still eating them. I was excited to find this recipe to add some variety to our weekly edamame serving. Thanks to Week of Menus for the recipe! I modified the original recipe by using fire roasted bell peppers instead of raw ones and green onions instead of scallions.

I suggest letting the salad sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours to let the flavors come together. I liked it better the second day.

photo: Week of Menus

Ingredients:
2 packs frozen edamame beans in their shells ( If using preshelled beans, you'll need around 2 1/2 cups.)
1/2 cup roasted red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup green onions chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

for the dressing:
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Get Cookin'

 Cook edamame beans according to package directions. When done cooking, make sure to rinse well with cold water to stop cooking. Dump the beans into a bowl full of ice water. Set aside.

2. Mix ingredients for dressing together.

3. Shell the edamame. Place the beans into a bowl. Pour dressing on top. Add cilantro, bell peppers, scallions. Toss to coat. Chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours to allow flavors to amalgamate.

Indian Lentils

My dad and I planned on going out to eat tonight, but decided we had eaten out too much lately. To avoid another processed meal (and extra calories) I decided to crockpot cook. Thanks to A Year of Slow Cooking for the recipe!

The dish turned out great but didn't take nearly as long to cook as expected. Next time I'd start cooking them at noon, not 9 a.m.

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photo from here

Ingredients:

2 cups lentils (any color-mine were a mixture of brown & red)

4 cups chicken broth (you could use veggie)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced chiles (no need to drain)
1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh)
2 large chicken breast halves (we only had a can of chicken, so I used that)

Get Cookin'

Use a 4 quart slow cooker. Rinse the lentils under cold water until it runs clear. Dump into the slow cooker. Add broth,diced onion and celery. Add all spices, the garlic, and chiles. Stir to combine.

Lay the chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for about 7 hours, or on high for about 4. Before serving, remove chicken from the slow cooker, chop it up, and stir back in. I didn't have to do this, thanks to canned chicken. :)

Serve over rice. Jesse kept asking for pita bread, so next time add pita bread, too!

No Sugar Cookies

My dad found this recipe that totally cheats the system. The cookies taste like there's sugar (or sugar substitute) but there isn't. Applesauce and raisins do the trick.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1 c. flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 c. applesauce (no added sugar kind)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. raisins

Get Cookin'

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Drop teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

My dad  and our dog, Sparky. 

Raspberry Lemonade Bars

 photo: http://www.sophistimom.com/

Dessert for our Mother's Day picnic--these bars were perfect for an outdoor event. Thanks to Sophistimom.com for the recipe.

Ingredients:
for the crust:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick, plus one tablespoon)
1/4 cup  sugar
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch salt

for the filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1 egg
2/3 cup  freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
2 tablespoons lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
2/3 cup  unbleached, all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 cup of frozen raspberries, defrosted
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

Get Cookin'

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees Celsius). Line a 8×8″ * square baking pan with a strip of parchment paper (8×14″) that covers the bottom and overlaps on either side. (This is so after it cools, you can pull out the entire pan of lime bars and cut them neatly. You can omit this step completely, though. You don’t even need to butter the pan.)

2. Cream butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer. Mix in flour until just incorporated. Flour hands and press dough into 8×8″ square baking pan, so that it comes up about a 1/2 inch around the sides.


3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. While it cools, prepare the filling.

4. Whisk sugar, egg whites, egg, lemon juice and zest, flour, and salt in a large bowl. Pour raspberries into a sieve and press through to extract all the pulp and juices. Whisk into lemon mixture and pour into crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes until filling is completely set. Let cool completely. (I help mine along in the freezer for about an hour.) Using the overlapping edges of parchment paper, gently lift the dessert from the pan. Cut into 16 squares. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Chickpea Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers

 photo: http://smittenkitchen.com/

I made this for a Mother's Day picnic Jesse and I did for our families. It was a big hit! We served it on a bed of mixed greens, but it would be good with pita wedges, too. Thanks to Smitten Kitchen for the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 large red peppers, roasted and skinned
3 cups of cooked chickpeas, rinsed if canned (about 2 15-ounce cans)
1/4 cup of parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped mint
3 tablespoons of capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice  ( orred wine or sherry vinegar)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil


Get Cookin'
Cut the peppers into half-inch wide strips and put them in a large bowl together with the chickpeas, herbs and the capers.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, salt, garlic and oil. Pour over the chickpea mixture and combine.

Refrigerate it for a day to get the flavors to amalgamate.

Jesse's sister, Cortni, and I at the picnic.